Merry Christmas, Dear Mars: An Out-of-This-World Story About the Night Before Christmas

Martians love Christmas too, hints this intergalactic spin on Clement C. Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” In Parker Klostermann’s clever rhyming lines, the red planet’s kind and inventive inhabitants answer a distress call when Santa’s sleigh at last heads their way. Teamwork makes the holiday dream work as Santa, portrayed with pale skin, helps local technicians, shown with colorful furry heads and friendly faces, draft an elaborate plan for repairs and an upgrade (“A gingerbread gizmo whirred up to restore/ the jingle bell boost to the main power core./ The mistletoe module was transformed to channel/ a positive charge to the sugarplum panel”). Lourenço’s brightly quirky Mars, which features electric Doze-n-Dream nightcaps, a wiry Christmas “spruce,” and a zingy rainbow of celestial stocking sweets, adds a dollop of cosmic fun to Christmas Eve traditions loved across the galaxy. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)